A Pretty Big Break for Baker
In the film Pretty Woman, courtesan Vivian catches lightning in a bottle when she meets Richard Gere’s charming and chivalrous billionaire businessman. Being cast in the title role of the film’s touring stage musical serves as a similarly unlikely lucky break for Ellie Baker. A really big break.
Not only does Pretty Woman: The Musical represent Baker’s first national tour and her first starring role – it’s actually the first professional theater gig of her career. Baker emerged from college at the start of the pandemic and took a little time to get back on track, doing only community theater before landing Vivian.
“It’s surreal,” she said over the phone from a SoCal tour stop prior to the musical’s arrival at the Granada Theatre for performances on January 22-23. “I auditioned for the ensemble but when I got the call back, they told me they were considering me only for Vivian. The whole thing was such a fast turnaround time. In just a week and a half my whole life changed forever. It still feels so surreal.”
Which is not entirely unlike what her character goes through, as she learns social etiquette and actually begins to acclimate to the high society lifestyle as Vivian and Edward fall in love over the course of a week.
“Vivian’s life also changes overnight and she kind of stumbles through, but she’s so grateful and does it with such grace and love,” Baker said. “I feel the same exact way in that every day I get up on that stage with so much appreciation. I really care for the work that I put in on stage growing up, and it helps to imagine I am this character. I’m just going to own it.”
Of course, stepping into a role that Julia Roberts originated in the movie comes with its own special challenges, which gave Baker some pause at first, despite not even having been born when the movie came out.
“I saw the movie when I was 11 or 12, and Julie Roberts is so iconic. It was a bit of a hurdle for me to get through during the rehearsal process. It helped that the director and choreographer kept reminding me that I was cast for me and what I brought to the table, so I could just focus on bringing out the Vivian in me.”
The story in the musical adheres closely to the movie, with virtually all the film’s most popular elements and costumes kept for the stage version – including Roberts’ famous hot pants and thigh-high boots in the opening scene, and the bright red dress for the opera.
The stage show also features the scene where Edward snaps the jewelry box on Vivian’s hand.
“My laughter is genuine because he snaps the box at a different point in the scene every single night,” Baker said. “I never actually know when it’s coming.”
The biggest difference is the nearly two dozen songs in the musical composed by Canadian rock star Bryan Adams with Jim Vallance (“Cuts Like a Knife,” “Summer of ‘69”). Baker said adding music enhances the charm and theme of the story.
“The driving message of the movie is love, not just between Edward and Vivian, but how she helps him find love for his own life and an appreciation for being himself, and how kind she is to everyone, from the bellhop to her best friend. That’s heightened on stage with the music really lending itself to showing exactly how big Vivian’s heart is.
Baker embodied a bit of that spirit when asked about her favorite song in the show.
“My favorite to sing is ‘I Can’t Go Back,’ her 11 o’clock number where she realizes that she loves Edward but loves herself more and can’t go back to the girl that settled for anything less,” she said. “But my favorite number in the musical is ‘Never Give Up on a Dream,’ which gives Kit a plot she didn’t have in the movie. It’s the only song I’m not on stage for, but it’s fun and lively and the whole ensemble is singing their faces off.”
Spreading the joy and credits to castmates. Sounds like the recipe for a long career in the theater.
Pretty Woman will be at the Granada Theatre on January 22-23. Visit www.granadasb.org for more information and tickets.
